Stupid Decisions
by Tybalt-tisk
Summary: Shiro isn't a stupid man, he just tended to make dumb decisions from time to time. / Protect Au.


Shiro isn't a stupid man. As a matter of fact, he prides himself on being able to assess a situation before it got out of his control. And yeah, of course, he's made his fair share of stupid decisions in the past that led him down several roads that he never should have turned on, but he always somehow found his way back. No, Shiro wasn't a stupid man, but there were times when he wishes that he was a hell of a lot smarter.

Such as now.

He knows that look, and he knows it all too well. Even shrouded by the veil of darkness, he can see the mischief dance behind her eyes as they silently call out to him. Part of him wants to pretend that he's asleep just to maintain that already broken barrier of professionalism between them, but the other part of him – the part of him that's stupid, wants to have a conversation that will lead him down another road he has no business on.

He shouldn't.

He knows he shouldn't.

If only he weren't so fucking stupid.

"I'm cold." Her voice is like a mermaid's siren; silky and tempting, and more than ready to lure him to his death.

"You're always cold," he responds dryly, looking her over. For someone who claims the cold brought her here, she sure doesn't dress like it. Her long legs are bare but she's wearing a pullover that's too big for her petite frame. In the darkness, he can't tell if it's his or not. He likes to think that it is. There's something about the way she drowns in his clothes that stirs his dormant desire towards her.

"Then why don't you do something about it, Shirogane?" Her voice snaps him away from his thoughts and back to reality. He could practically hear the smile in her voice because she knows she's already won.

He shouldn't – It's a simple and direct demand that he constantly tells himself when it comes to her, but he never listens to that weary voice in the back of his mind, does he? In the darkness, he can feel her gaze on him. He always can. It's like a physical touch that has enough heat behind it to burn him into submission. Just like clockwork, like he's done hundreds of times before, he stupidly invites her into his bed.

She doesn't hesitate before she slides under the heavy blankets to settle in beside him. He shifts over as much as he can to give her space. Space that he knows won't be there within the next few seconds. Once she settles, she turns to face him and her eyes study the distance he put between them, and he can see the exact moment she decides that it's exactly what she doesn't want from him.

Her eyes don't leave his as she moves closer towards him, and it should take him by surprise when she slides her hands up under his shirt. But it doesn't. But what does take him by surprise is how alarmingly cold her hands are. His muscles in his stomach tense at the sensation and he almost flinches away from her. Almost.

She laughs at his reaction. "I told you I was cold," she says as she continues to trail her hands up his stomach before they land flatly on his chest. She makes a content sound at the heat she finds there. "You're so warm and you're being greedy by not sharing it with me."

He raises a brow. "I give you my bed, my blankets…" he reaches out to grab the center of the pullover to tug her closer to him, "my hoodie, and now me? And that's still not enough for you?" He's teasing because of course, it wasn't enough. Nothing was ever just enough for Allura, now was it?

"Oh my, when you put it that way, it sounds like I'm the greedy one."

"And what did he learn today, Princess?"

"That you won't cuddle with me, even when I'm at my lowest point."

Half of him wishes she never uttered those words and the other half of him falls into the temptation to be happy that she did. Her gaze is back on him, he can feel it. It's just as heavy as it is suffocating, stealing away his breath and the last shreds of whatever rational thought he wasn't trying too hard to hold on to, to begin with. He rolls over onto his back with a sigh and stares at the ceiling before he allows himself to respond to her, "Now why would I do such a stupid thing like that?"

He holds back a groan when her bare thigh slides over his legs before her weight shifts completely until she's straddling his hips. Hands that have never let him down before are now impulsive traitors with a mind of their own as they don't hesitate to grasp on to her thighs to anchor her over him. She leans down until her body is flush against his and her hands leave his chest to wrap around his shoulders and her face buries itself in the crook of his neck. Her hair is loose from her usual bun and the moonlight strands tumble over her shoulders, sprawling out onto him. He sucks in a deep, stuttering breath, which is a mistake because now her scent fills him and he's reminded how much of an idiot he is.

"Allura." It's a desperate warning.

"I'm cold."

"You're always cold." These conversations always are always so repetitive.

"You're a smart man, do something about it." That's not true. If he were a smart man, he wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't be in his room, in his bed, wearing his clothes, sitting on top of him like it's her goddamn throne.

Stupid decisions led him here.

He wraps one of his arms around the small of her back to secure her to him before he rolls them over, switching their positions. He's now cradled between her thighs looking down at her. He thought it was a good move to deescalate the situation but he's only made another wrong turn. In this position, he can see her more clearly. Light from outside sneaks past his curtains and baths her face in the moonlight, putting an ethereal glow around her. From the moment he met her, he always thought she was beautiful, but now, drenched in moonlight and peppered with the shadows of falling snow, he can't get out of his head at just how absolutely stunning she is.

"You're always so easy to rile up, Shiro," she says quietly, a half-smirk gracing her lips.

He narrows his eyes at her. "You're such a vixen."

"Only because you let me."

"Not true."

"Then what is this?" Subtly, she wiggles her hips, drawing attention to their current position.

"Manipulation at its finest," he says against her lips before he rolls over to his back once again and Allura follows him, settling down into the curve of his body. Her hands return to the space under his shirt before they wrap around him. The protective side of him is happy that her hands aren't as cold as they were a minute ago.

Stupid decisions led him here.

Regardless of his stupidity, he wraps an arm around her and tugs her closer. "You're insufferable," he tells her.

She gives his hip a squeeze before she reaches up and places her lips against the underside of his jaw, giving his a kiss that is anything but friendly. "And yet, you wouldn't have me any other way." She returns to her original position and it isn't long before sleep overtakes her.

Shiro isn't a stupid man.

And yes, he's made his fair share of stupid decisions. Believe it or not, the stupidest thing he's ever done is not falling in love with the person he was hired to protect. But, by far, the stupidest thing he's ever done was letting her sleep in his bed.

Because now…

Now his sheets smell just like her. Now he'll be forced to remember the scent of her every single night even long after she's gone. He doesn't want to think about his future, he wants to think about his now. Now she's here; in his bed, in his clothes, in his arms, sleeping beside him like it's her rightful place to be. Just like everything about her, she's perfect as her body molds effortlessly against his. As if she were made for him...or if he were made for her.

He inhales the scent of her and once again, he reminds himself that he's an idiot he is. This...whatever this is, it's all in his head. It's only temporary until he's assigned to someone else. Until she's bored of him. Until he realizes that she could never love him the same way he loves her.

Stupid decisions led him here.

Because now, for the first time since she did this last week, sleep comes easy to him. Yes, this was the stupidest decision Shiro has ever made because now he knows for certain that he'll never be able to sleep again without her beside him. This is a road he had no business on, but he was too far gone to turn back now.

And if he was being honest with himself, he wasn't sure he even wanted to turn back.


End file.
